


Nightmares

by mithrel



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Blanket Permission, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-25
Updated: 2009-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of <i>Frontios,</i> Turlough's having nightmares.  The Doctor helps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

The Doctor was wandering the TARDIS corridors, since he didn’t need much sleep. He didn’t expect either of his Companions to still be awake, but as he passed Turlough’s room, he heard a noise, a sort of repeated rasping, muffled as if Turlough didn’t want to be heard.

He paused by his door. Normally he wouldn’t intrude, but the ordeal on Frontios was bound to have left a mark. He eased the door open to see Turlough attempting to muffle his sobs in his pillow.

“Turlough?”

The redhead started, and turned away from him. “Go away!”

“No.” It had been a week since Frontios, but he obviously still wasn’t recovered, and the Doctor wasn’t about to leave him alone. “Why are you crying?”

Turlough turned over and glared at him. “I’m not!” he said, in the face of all the evidence.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Leave me alone!”

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. Racial memory couldn’t be wiped, so Turlough would have to deal with it. The fact that he’d forced himself to remember wasn’t helping.

“You’re wrong, you know,” he said, inconsequentially.

“What?” The eyes peering at him were suspicious.

“You keep saying you’re selfish, and a coward. But you faced the most visceral type of memories to help us, went back down into a place that you knew was dangerous. That’s not cowardice.”

Turlough said nothing.

“You were very brave.”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, well I regret it now, don’t I?”

“You’ll get through this. You just need time for the memories to integrate.”

“I’m having nightmares.” Turlough refused to meet his eyes as he said it, and he looked so lost that the Doctor went and sat on the edge of his bed.

“That’s your mind’s way of coping. They should go away soon.”

“Doesn’t feel like it. It feels like they’re getting worse. The earth keeps opening up to swallow me, and I see the Tractators…” he trailed off, shuddering.

The Doctor reached out and hugged him. Turlough stiffened, and the Doctor was sure he would pull away, but after a moment he relaxed, and as the Doctor stroked his back, he began to cry into his shoulder.

“Shhh. Shhh. It’ll be fine. It’s all right,” The Doctor continued to rub his back and make soothing noises until Turlough finally fell asleep, then reluctantly left him alone.


End file.
